"This isn't fair, this isn't fair..."
A disheveled bandit leaned against a rock, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the Arming Sword planted in the ground as he muttered bitterly to himself.
He had seen with his own eyes how smoothly that sword had sliced through his spear, then swung back around to cleave straight through his thick wooden shield before leaving a fatal wound in his shoulder, deep enough to expose bone.
That sword was too sharp. Neither his weapon nor his armor could withstand its cuts. Even if he was the poorer fighter, he should not have been cut down in a single exchange.
It was so unfair.
Joachim curled his lip as he grabbed the hilt and pulled the Arming Sword out of the ground. He raised it before his face and examined it.
Mm, good. No chips in the edge, no rolling, either. The blade is smooth as a mirror; I can see my face clearly reflected in it.
The sword truly was superbly made. No wonder it had torn through the bandit's weapon and defenses so easily.
Joachim nodded in satisfaction, planning to give the blade a thorough wash with hot water later, then maintain it with Sword Oil to keep it from rusting.
The Cotton Armor he wore was good stuff, too. Its outermost layer was gray cloth, with armor plates covering the chest beneath it and Chainmail around the limbs. Innermost was a thick lining of beaten cotton that resisted cuts and thrusts, while also offering decent protection against blunt weapons and lead bullets.
Joachim had just taken a shot to the chest. Now, feeling around there, he actually dug a lead bullet out of the deformed armor plate beneath the hole in his clothing.
Apart from being hot, this Cotton Armor really was